NCT, DP World deal today despite workers’ protest

CHATTOGRAM, Oct 7: The much talked about 15-year concession agreement with Dubai-based DP World is set to be signed today (Thursday) to operate and maintain Chattogram Port’s New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) and its Overflow Container Yard (OCY).  

The agreement will be signed at the Invest Bangladesh Auditorium in Dhaka. Invest Bangladesh Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun and DP World Board of Directors Chairman Essa Kazim are expected to attend.  

Meanwhile, the anti-deal group of the workers and the Bandar Rakkha Committee threatened to shut down the port if the deal goes ahead.  The agreement marks a major step in the government’s long-running effort to bring an international operator into NCT, the port’s busiest container terminal.

But the move has triggered strong opposition from port workers and other stakeholders, who have threatened to halt port operations and vessel movements up to Kutubdia outer anchorage if the agreement is signed.

Ibrahim Khokon, coordinator of the Chattogram Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad, issued the shutdown warning last Monday during a sit-in in front of the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) building.  

“If you take steps to sign any agreement, Chattogram Port will immediately be shut down. Not only will the port, but operations up to Kutubdia outer anchorage also be stopped,” he said.  

The protesters are opposing the proposed involvement of foreign operators not only in NCT but also in the Chattogram Container Terminal (CCT) and General Cargo Berths (GCB). 
 
The shutdown threat comes days after the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave in-principle approval to the draft concession agreement for NCT and OCY.

The approval, given on 1 October on a proposal from the Ministry of Shipping, clears a major hurdle for the 15-year PPP concession.  

Meanwhile, the CPA plans to award a government-to-government concession to DP World, nominated by the Government of Dubai, for upgrading, operating, and maintaining NCT.  

The project received its initial in-principle approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in March 2023.  

The latest approval specifically concerns the draft concession agreement that will give the 15-year operation and maintenance of the terminal.

The New Mooring terminal is the largest container-handling facility at Chattogram Port, handling around 44% of the total container volume in 2025, according to port data.

It currently handles around 1.3 million TEUs annually, equivalent to roughly 40% of the port’s total throughput, and is operated by Bangladesh Navy’s Chittagong Dry Dock Company Limited.